Marion c



-. No Model.)

M G. HAPPOLDT.

AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT BREAKER- I No. 422,524. Patented Mar. 4, 1890.

class of devices in which the electrical eurandbut-briefly-as, for instance, in the case tion and operation of which will be hereinaf- Providence, in thccoun-ty of Providence "and? State of Rhode Island, have invented certain ing of the current, either from defective opthe terminal of the circuit, the consequence when the same are suificiently magnetized. To the other and longer arm of the lever U is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC CIRCUIT-BREAKER,

SPEOIFICAZFION forming part of Letters Application an June 2a, i885;

Tb zz 'wilgoinjt new?) concern: i

Beitknownthat I, MAnIoN GJIAPPOLDT, a citizen-pt the United "States, residing "at new and useful Improvement in Automatic- Circuit-Breakers; and I do ereby declare;

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a view in front elevation of my apparatus, and Fig; 2 an end elevation of the same. I

The present invention has relation to that rent is designed to be used only at intervals,

of electricalgas-lighting devices, As is Well. known, met thepriiicipafdisadvan tag'es attending the use of this classof mechanism is the continued grounding or the 'shortcircuit eration of some part of the mechanism or accidental grounding between the battery and of such grounding or short-circuiting being the waste and rapid exhaustion of the battery employed.

To overcome this disadvantage by an automatic circuit-breaker or c ut-oft,wl1i ch shall besimple in its construction, effective in its operation, and inexpensive in its cost, is the object of the present invention, the constructer described. 7 r

To carry my invention into practice, I place at some convenient point in the circuit between the battery and the place where the electricity is to be utilizerP-as, for instance, in the ease of electrical gas lighting apparatusthe gas-jet upon a suitable frame-Work or support A and clcctro-magnet l3, which constitutes part of said circuit. To thelower end of the short arm of a le ver C, pivoted or fulcrumedupon an arm or bracket T), is an armature h), capable of bcing attracted by the cores of the magnet 13 Patent No. 422,524, dated March 4, mac. tenure. 815,580. (No man.)

ing a certain portionof its length atf insulated, saidbarbeing pivotaily attached, and is capable of being moved longitudinally or a certain distance by the oscillation ofthe lever C when the armature secured at its lower tracted by the electro magnet l5.

- For a purpose hereina ter set fort-ha Weight -Pis secured to the leverC at a point between the fulcrum d of the latter and the end Where it is connected to contactbar F. At its end g, opposite to Where it is attached to the armature-earrying lever C, bar F. isfurnished Withgear or rack teeth which grit-h. a gear-Wheel G on a shaft c, having bearings in the side plates of a frame ltattached to the support A. Alsohaving bearings in thisframe H is a' second shaft 1, carrying a pinion e' and gear-Wheel K, pinion meshing with a gear,-wheel,L ontheishaifte iim in which gear Wheel it receives motion, the gear-wheel K meshing with the pinion hi on a third shaft m, likewise having hearings in the frame H. A fan. regulator or 'overnor secured to the shaft in, serves to maintain a uniform opera tion of this train of gears when the same are in motion. I v

A spring contact-plate N, .contteniently located upon and secured. to tint support A,-

' completes theessential elements of my apparatus, theoperation of which will be found to be as follows: Suppose a circuit to .be formed, as shown in Fig. 1, through a ireo, starting from a suit-ablydocated i'iatter to a bindingpost-p, arranged on the support A, and thence through the magnet B to, the contact plate N.

extremity is under the influence of and. at

From this plate N the current will pass by means of the contact-bar F and the gear-supporting frame H to a wire 7', attached to such frame and passing from it to the bindingposts 3, thence to the points where the current is to be utilized, (one such point being convention ally shown att) and ultimately grounded. Upon the circuit being closed by bringingthe pursue the course above described, and it the muse be-that of an electric gas-light ing apparatus should continue only long enough to make spark heedful for the ignition oi the gas, the armature C during such cperatiul'l being unaffected by the magnet B; but if in a horizontally-arrangcd metallic bar F, haw

electrodes at i in contact, the current will.

IOO

stead 'of being immediatelyln-oiien the ciw cuit should remainclosed, as by the accidentally locking together of the contacts at t, the continued passageof the current through the magnet B would sufficiently excite it to cause -the attraction of the armature E, and through it and the lever C a longitudinal movement of the bar F, untii its insulated portion f should come into contact with the contactplate N, thereby eifecting an automatic breaking of the circuit, and in consequence stopping undue waste of thebattery. The operation of the device would of course be the same should by any means there be a shortcircuitiug or grounding of thecurrent intermediate between the cireuitrbreaker and the point t. Were no means provided to prevent it, the breaking of the circuit by the attraction of the armature by the magnet would be almost instantaneous; but as this would be objectionable, chiefly because, as in the case of the lighting of gas, it is desirable to have the circuit closed long enough to insure the ignition of the gas, I employ for the purpose of retarding the movement of the armature and the consequent breaking of the circuit the train of gears operating, as hereinbefore described, in conjunction with the bar F,whose movement, elteeted by the armature and the lever O, to which said armature and bar F are attached, will through the rack-teeth on its under side impart motion to said train of gears, and thus hinder the breaking of the circuit for any desired period, to be determined, of course, by the relative diameters of the wheels and pinions constituting the parts of the train. In order to again close the circuit which may have been thus automatically broken, it is necessary simply to raise the spring contaet-plateiN out of engagement with the insulated portion f of the bar F, when, through the medium of the weight I, (or, if preferred, a spring or other equivalent device the armature will be swung away from the poles of the magnet and the other parts of the device resume their normal positions.

As will be seen by reference to the drawings, the teeth on bar F, as well as those on the wheel with which the bar engages, are ratchet-teeth inshape, this construction ottering the least resistance to a reversed movement of the bar F and rendering a quick return of the parts to their normal positions, because of the fact that the teeth will slip readily past each other without causing any movementof the train of gears.

A circuit-breaker or cut-oft thus constructed is perfectly automatic and effective in its operation, requiring no attention whatever beyond that necessary to return the parts to their normal positions after there has been an 'operation of the apparatus. Of course it is to be understood that modificatioirot thp apparatus can be. made without departure bar, substantially as shown.

from the scope of my invention, the essential idea of which is the retardation of the breaking of the circuit by mechanism positively operated by the elect-ro-magnet.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic circuit-breaking mechanism, the combination of a suitably-arranged electro-magnet, a pivoted vertically-arranged armature-carrying lever, a horizontally-arranged contact-bar connected to said lever and adapted to break the circuit by a longitudinal movement, and a retarding device, substantially as described, connected with said bar, so as to be operated thereby, substantialiy as specified.

2. In an automatic circuibbreaking mechanism, the combination of an electro-magnet, an armature, a pivoted vertically-arranged levercarrying said armature, a horizontallyarranged contact-bar connected to saidlever, a contact-plate bearing upon the upper side of said bar, whereby the circuit is normally kept closed, but which, through an attraction of the armature by the magnet, operates with said bar to automatically break it, and a weight attached to the armature-carrying lever, whereby when the circuit has been thus broken it maybe closed and the armature and contact-bar simultaneously restored to normal position, substantially as shown.

In an automatic circuit-breaking mechanism, the combination of an electro-magnet, an armature, a pivoted vertically-arranged armature carrying lever, a longitudinallymovable horizontally-arranged contact-bar connected at one end to said lever and provided at its other end on its lower face with ratchet-teeth, and a train of gears'receiving movement from the latter when moved in one direction, substantially as set forth.

4:- In an automatic circuit-breaking mechanism, the combination of an eleetro-magnet, an armature, a pivoted vertically-arranged armature-carrying lover, a horizontally-arranged contact-bar insulated for a portion of its length, a spring contact-plate resting upon the upper side of said bar, and a weight at.- tached to the pivoted armature-carrying 1ever, whereby when the circuit has been broken by the coming in contact of the spring-plate and the insulated portion of the contact-bar it may be automatically closed after the disengagement of said spring-plate from said In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

MARION C. IIAPPOLDT.

Witnesses: E. U. PERKINS,

GILMAN E. J orr. 

